WRITTEN BY ART BY

D. KENNY VIL
DYING HARD ON
HARDLIGHT STATION
 WRITTEN BY
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Tuesday Knight Games. This product is published under license. Mothership RPG is a
This product is based on the Mothership Sci-Fi Horror Role Playing Game, published by

D. KENNY
ART BY
VIL
EDITED BY
JARRETT
CRADER
LAYOUT BY
ERIC K. HILL

TABLE OF CONTENTS
WELCOME TO HARDLIGHT STATION............................4
WHEN THE QUARANTINE FAILS...................................6
FACTIONS - HEALTHTEK..............................................8
FACTIONS - BLACKSHIELD........................................10
FACTIONS - NAKATOMI SOLUTIONS...........................12
HARDLIGHT STATION MAP........................................14
THE CORE..................................................................16
SECURITY AND ADMINISTRATION.............................17
THE DOCKS...............................................................18
THE HEALTHTEK MODULE.........................................19
HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER.............................20
APPENDIX.................................................................26
 WELCOME TO
HARDLIGHT
STATION
Hardlight Station is a small yet bustling commercial
outpost, orbiting at the edge of the Epsilon Eridani
system. Administrator Takako McClane of Nakatomi
Solutions Inc. rents space to any organization
looking to conduct business in the privacy and
seclusion such a remote location can provide. It also
offers brisk trade in fuel and supplies as a waystation
on the busy route between Earth and the colonized
systems of the local cluster.
HOW TO “WIN”
Here are some possible scenarios on how this all
might end:
■ Rescue (or heartlessly abandon) your friends
in the Healthtek facility, sneak onto a ship and
get the hell out of dodge. Good luck getting past
Blackshield’s command ship: it’s called Breaker
for a reason.
■ Team up with Blackshield to fight the crimson
goo hybrids. When the dust settles, make sure
you have collateral to hold Blackshield to any
deal they made.
■ Hide out while the hybrids make mincemeat
of everyone on the station. There, job done, the
coast is clear… except for the legion of infectious
Goolings escaping on the ships.
■ Join Administrator McClane and the battered
remnants of the station’s security forces to fight
off the twin threats. Hope you brought extra
bandages and ammo!
■ Overload the reactor and blow the whole damn
place up. Sure, you’ll go down with the ship, but
by god you’ll take the bastards with you.
4
HOW TO USE THIS
MODULE
Dying Hard on Hardlight Station is both an
open-ended adventure and a plug-and-play setting.
Your team of grizzled PCs will be torn between saving
friends locked in the Healthtek facility or crawling
to freedom in the vents of the corporate-controlled
Hardlight Station, all while trying to avoid capture
by the brutal Blackshield Mercenary Company.
Unbeknownst to all, Blackshield’s invasion has
caused the containment protocols at the Healthtek
facility to malfunction. Before long, Healthtek’s
half-human, half-alien hybrids will be rampaging
through the station - testing old alliances and
perhaps forging new ones, as all parties are pressed
to contain this new, deadly onslaught.
OTHER WAYS TO USE THIS MODULE
Do whatever you want. Take what you like and forget
the rest. Here are a couple of ideas for adjusting the
timescale up or down, or taking a whole different
approach.
■ Just run one of the two scenarios: either
Blackshield invades to attain a sample of the Tau
Sigma substance with no quarantine breach or
no Blackshield just containment breach.
■ Start as inhabitants of the station enjoying the
yearly Nakatomi Christmas party. Bummer about
the invasion.
■ Use Hardlight Station as a location in an ongoing
campaign. Get your players used to stopping by
before springing the calamities herein upon
them.
■ Go full “John McClane” mode and play with a
single PC. Bump up their stats a bit and see if
they can survive the night.
■ Assign your PCs the optional secret agendas in
the appendix. Fear the enemy within.
 5

THREATS
Each faction vying for control of the station carries with them an associated threat consisting of a major
sequence of events they have put in motion. All threats have a goal or end state. The approaches are the ways
in which the threat worsens as time passes. Start with those at the top. As time goes on, move down the list. If
the PCs don’t intervene, the threats become reality.

CORPORATE INVASION THE HORROR FROM TAU SIGMA 7

Corporal Hanne Gruber and the Blackshield
Mercenary Company are being paid very well to
secure a sample of the Tau Sigma Substance and
will stop at nothing to get it, even if it costs the lives
of everyone on Hardlight Station.
APPROACHES
■ Blackshield crashes Breaker into the docks and
initiates their invasion.
■ Hack station comms and begin overriding
McClane’s security measures.
■ Gather personnel in the atrium; interrogate for
info on the Tau Sigma Substance.
■ Squads spread through the station and cut
open the containment doors into Healthtek.
■ Offer a deal in exchange for help securing the
Tau Sigma Substance.
■ Capture a hybrid and drag it sedated back to
the Breaker.
■ Leave the survivors to fend for themselves against
the rampaging infection.
In the bowels of Healthtek, Dr. Holland Gennero
has created something monstrous - an unholy hybrid
of DNA from the infected survivors of the Tau Sigma
incident and the crimson goo that has invaded
their bodies. Unleashed by the failed containment
system, the Hybrids set out to hunt, sating a hunger
that the inhabitants of Hardlight Station alone
cannot satisfy.
APPROACHES
■ Rampage through Healtek before breaking free.
■ Slaughter the Mercs in the hallway, sending
survivors running in panic.
■ Crash the party in the atrium and run amok.
■ Take to the vents and spread through the station.
■ Infected civilians rise as Goolings.
■ With the station overrun, the horde converges
on Blackshield’s final bastion on the docks.
■ Blackshield’s defences crumble and Goolings
board ships, blasting off to nearby civilized ports.

5
 FAILS
WHEN THE QUARANTINE
Blackshield is here on a mission: they want
samples of the Tau Sigma Substance - aka “the
Crimson Goo.” They are rounding up Healthtek
personnel, looking for a way into the research facility.
So far they have been stymied by Administrator
McClane’s lockdown. Every blast door is closed
and every non-emergency system is shut down.
They work furiously to try to find a way to override
McClane’s authority.
Meanwhile, deep in the Healthtek laboratory,
things have gone terribly wrong. The experimental
cure for the infected survivors from Tau Sigma 7 has
some unintended side-effects. And now, with the
station in lockdown and all systems in emergency
power mode, the containment protocols have
failed. Outside, Blackshield is doing everything
they can to break the quarantine seals around the
lab, but, when they do, whatever is trapped inside is
getting out, and that is when the real party begins…
6
AWAKENING
You awake in the medbay to the sound of klaxons
and the red strobe of emergency lights. It’s been
three weeks since you escaped the disaster on
Tau Sigma 7. You still can’t quite believe what you
saw and experienced there - tentacled creatures,
dripping infectious Crimson Goo, implacable
hunters uncovered in a subterranean alien structure
that stalked the crew. You and the other survivors
just managed to destroy the outpost and escape
on the last emergency shuttle - hopefully ending
the nightmare for good. Five days ago you docked
at Hardlight Station and reported your story to
the authorities. Since then, you’ve been mourning
those you lost and recuperating with the help of the
station doctors.
Now, in semi-darkness, you take in the ward where
you and your crewmates have been recovering. Over
the usual tang of antiseptic hangs an acrid tinge of
smoke. An emergency broadcast goes out over the
station intercom. It’s Administrator McClane - the
station is under attack [play emergency broadcast
two]. Only a few minutes after the broadcast ends
you hear the droning of the ventilation fans wind
down, their hum replaced by faint shouting in the
hallway corridor. You hear gunfire and screams.
Heavy boots pound the plasticrete floors. Someone
is banging on the door, “Blackshield Mercenary
Corps, we’ve commandeered the station. Open
up or we’ll shoot!” The only way out is through the
door or the air vents in the ceiling. Another message
[emergency broadcast 3] is blinking on your comm
pad. What do you do?
WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?
Tonight is Christmas Eve, decorations line the halls and many of the 100 or so
residents of Hardlight are in the midst of a wild night of festive revelry when
Blackshield crashes the party, mercs corralling locals into the atrium for
questioning. Administrator McClane has locked the station down from
her office, where she has barricaded herself behind a phalanx of
automated defences, and Dr. Holland Gennero, Healthtek project
lead, has mysteriously gone missing.

7
 HELL UNLEASHED FRO
FACTIONS
Attracted by the seclusion of far-flung Hardlight
Station, Healthtek AG lead researcher Dr. Holland
Gennero has conducted grey-market genetics
research in the high-security module for years. Skilled
in editing animal and human DNA, the temptation of
the highly mutagenic “Tau Sigma Substance’’ was
too great for him to resist. Singularly equipped to
cure the biogenetic parasite, Administrator McClane
authorized Gennero to study the infected survivors
in an attempt to flush the infection from their
systems. In this, Gennero seems to have succeeded.
But the cost was great. To work with the molecule,
he combined it with human DNA, rendering it
recognizable to his CRISPR gene-editing treatments.
TAU SIGMA HYBRIDS
C:65 Tentacle Lashes 2d10/2d10 and Gnashing Teeth
2d10 I:50 Hits:3(30)
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
■ Vomit and Bleed Crimson Goo: Body Save
or become infected (1d10 DMG/round until
treated). If HP is reduced to zero by the infection
make another Body Save. On success the PC has
fought off the infection and is unconscious but
alive. On failure, die. On critical failure, the PC
rises as a Gooling controlled by the Warden.
■ Camouflage: when still, they blend nearly
seamlessly with their surroundings.
Healthtek’s gene therapies have commingled with
the alien DNA of the Crimson Goo, causing it to
evolve and create monstrous half-human hybrids
of the infected survivors from Tau Sigma 7. Their
bodies drip with goo and stretch like silly putty. Their
limbs distend into whiplike clawed tentacles, their
mouths gape and ooze, they are coming for you.
8
At first the experiments were unstable, patients’ genes
shredding as alien DNA commingled with their own.
Failed subjects were locked in containment. The
doctor continued, perfecting his cure, until on the
eve of Christmas he administered the first dose of
the working antidote. The results were rapid, but
incomplete, when Blackshield’s invasion triggered
the station-wide lockdown with catastrophic timing.
The tanks with the early failures unsealed, and the
hybrids emerged. Half-human, half-alien, their only
desire is to spread their kind far and wide - feeding
the hunger that burns in their blood and gnaws at their
very DNA.
GOOLING
C:40 Proto Claws 1d10/1d10 I:30 H:2(20)
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
■ Vomit and Bleed Crimson Goo: Body Save
or become infected (1d10 DMG/round until
treated). If HP is reduced to zero by the infection
make another Body Save. On success the PC has
fought off the infection and is unconscious but
alive. On failure, die. On critical failure, the PC
rises as a Gooling controlled by the Warden.
The infection spreads quickly. Skin bubbles, melts
and cascades away. Still wearing the shredded
clothes of their former selves the goolings rise with
a scream.
OM HEALTHTEK
DR. HOLLAND GENNERO
C:20 Tranq Pistol I:70 H:2(25)

SPECIAL ABILITIES:
■ The Cure: has D10 doses of his antiviral cure for
the Tau-Sigma infection. Can be used to save
infected crew, destroy hybrids or potentially be
distributed on a wider scale through the station’s
ventilation system, but to what effect?

Single-minded, brilliant research scientist in charge

of Healthtek at the station. Dedicated to his work,
hates ethics boards with a passion. Has a cure for
the Tau Sigma infection—but what will it cost to get?

SURVIVORS FROM TAU SIGMA 7

The very sick crewmembers from Tau Sigma 7 were
taken for “intensive treatment” in the Healthtek labs.
Along with Dr. Gennero, they haven’t been seen
since. How many were cured and how many have been
turned into the ravening alien hybrids?

01 Jengo Watson: xeno-archeologist, blonde, playboy.

02 Wian Rensburg: data analyst, takes his work
seriously, hates Jengo.
03 Ruan Human: nurse, escaped a cybermod cult,
don’t ask about the scars.
04 Elize Van Schalkwyk: human resources, charming
and kind, winks a lot.
05 Marieke Young: maintenance department, tough
as leather, both literally and metaphorically.
06 Kubrick Puku: videographer, excitable, Tau Sigma
was his first paying gig.
07 Nkeng Barkindo: cook, quiet, sad eyes, pictures
of family in his wallet.
08 Taleh Zula: fashionista, loud, lots of fun at a
Christmas party.
09 Callum Ebodé: studious, student on a scholarship.
10 Arsène Belle: corporate lead at Tau Sigma 7,
highly capable, will do anything to cover up what
really happened on Tau Sigma.

9
 THE BLACKSHIELD MER
FACTIONS - ON CONTRACT:
Founded by former officers dissatisfied with the
inefficiencies of Earth’s Colonial Navy, Blackshield
Mercenary Company rose quickly in power and
prestige as it seized several lucrative contracts from
various major Earth military organizations. However,
their golden age was short lived. Culminating a series
of lesser events and shady dealings - the Io Incident,
when a team of Blackshield security contractors were
caught on the feed firing into a union mining protest
killing and wounding scores of civilian protesters
- put an end to their rapid rise. In damage control
mode, Blackshield rebranded its mainstream training
and technology businesses as Ally Securities. The
remnants of the paramilitary arm of the company
calved off, maintaining the name Blackshield and
moving deeper into the shadowy grey and black
markets of high risk security, intimidation, corporate
espionage, and asset seizure. Though officially
no longer on Ally Securities’ payroll, many in the
intelligence community suspect Blackshield operates
as the secret knife behind the back of their powerful
parent company.
BLACKSHIELD ASSAULT SQUAD
Combat 35 + 5% per unit Instinct 35% + 5% per unit
Hits 1 (20) x units in squad.
Roll 1d10 or pick what each trooper carries.
01 Combat Shotgun
02 Flamethrower
03-06 SMG
07-10 Revolver and Stun Baton
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
■ Formation: The squad fights as a unit. There
are always at least three troopers on any given
patrol - one of which is heavily armed.
Black-clad thugs, well-armed and out for a buck.
Lucky for you their orders seem to be to apprehend
rather than kill if possible. What do they want you for?
10
CORPORAL HANNE GRUBER
Corporal Hanne Gruber - C:70 Mastercrafted SMG
“Liebling” 6d10 I:60 Hits:4(40)
SPECIAL ABILITIES:
■ An Offer you Can’t Refuse: When desperate,
Gruber draws on her corporate contacts to make a
tempting offer to turn antagonists into allies. This
can be to the PCs directly or to any bystanders.
Hopefully the former. Probably the latter.
■ Body Shield: If Blackshield Troopers are present
and reasonably able, Gruber can have them take
a hit that was intended for her.
Head of the Blackshield Mercenaries. A ruthless
woman who puts self, mission, and crew above all
else (in that order). Despite being prone to sudden
bursts of calculated, brutal violence, Gruber can be
hypnotically charming when she wants to, much like
a cobra.
1D10 BLACKSHIELD MERCENARIES
01 Arlo Virak: fiery and vengeful, Gruber’s right hand.
02 Toni Virak: master of disguise, comms officer.
03 Theo Claymore: arrogant, hacker, loves jokes.
04 Aria Shadee: mysterious, intelligence officer, very
into knives.
05 Franco Collorotto: former powerlifter, bald,
scarred, bad knees.
06 Sarah Elbridge: all business, no pleasure,
crack shot.
07 Karl Dogunov: unlucky, former dancer, good with
an SMG.
08 Fritz Alexander: mechanic, uniform always filthy,
heavy weapons specialist.
09 Roxette Marcos: unpredictable, pilot,
likes explosions.
10 Uli Heinrich: sweet tooth, really nice, pyromaniac.
RCENARY COMPANY

11
 NAKATOMI SOLUTIONS
FACTIONS - HOLDING ON TO HARDLIGHT:

Administrator Takako McClane was appointed head

of Hardlight Station as a punishment for disobeying
the orders of Nakatomi Solutions Inc’s decadent and
corrupt CEO (her cousin) Tomiichi “Tom” Yoshinobu.
Though only a fraction of the multi-armed megacorp’s
vast holdings, McClane has done everything in her
power to spite her cousin by making Hardlight Station
a success. Despite numerous harsh budget cuts her
plans have worked. However, part of Hardlight’s
success has been built on the back of McClane’s
“no-questions” policy for the station’s business
tenants, including her contract with Healthtek AG.
With the invasion underway, McClane does anything
to maintain control of the station she has fought
so hard for for so long. And, if she can’t keep it, no
one will.

ADMINISTRATOR TAKAKO McCLANE

C:45 Custom Concealed Handgun “奥の手/Okunote”
4d10 I:70 H:3(30)

SPECIAL ABILITIES:
■ Administrative Access: Controls most systems on
the station from the administrator’s terminal in her
office, including communications, cameras, doors,
life support, and airlocks. Blackshield has locked
her out of the docks and is trying to seize control
of more. Contacts the PCs over private comms to
enlist their help in regaining control. Does not take
kindly to those working against her.
■ Self-Destruct Protocol: If she believes that she
will lose control of the station she calls on the
PCs to destroy it by inserting her hard key into the
reactor. Once the key is inserted and activated the
station explodes in 10 minutes.

Exquisite manners, and ruthless focus, the stoic

head-administrator of Hardlight Station took your
report on the events at Tau Sigma 7. Now she’s trying
to stop Blackshield, save the station and figure out
what’s really going on.

12
S INC.
PEOPLE OF THE STATION:
Hundreds hustle, work and live their lives full time on
Hardlight Station. These are just a few of the more
interesting personalities.
01 Merlin Kiani: drone wrangler, rotten chrome
teeth, bloodshot eyes, distracted.
02 Pascal Moneaux: corporate soldier, nice coat,
tribal falcon face tattoo, calm.
03 Zeb O’Mori: pimp, athletic and wiry, huffs fast
food, superstitious.
04 Fleur Omewego: recyc-plant worker, dirty
coveralls, aviators, solidarity patch, sings.
05 Noriyumi Tronstad: pilot, weary, apathetic,
wearing a soiled Santa suit, drunk.
06 Giselle Quintan: reporter, overweight, always cold,
cybernetic implants, brash.
07 G8R-44 “Gator”: sex-worker, battered synth,
needs repairs, vinyl clothing, smokes.
08 Bones: med-bot, wireframe chassis, antenna,
crackly electronic voice, helpful.
09 Zoe Qi: gambler, infected neck cybernetics,
pitiless blue eyes, desperate to escape.
10 Otto Braun: amateur cybermod hacker, hairless,
eager, awkward, devoted to Zoe.

EVERYONE ON HARDLIGHT STATION WANTS SOMETHING. THESE ARE ONLY THE BIGGEST PLAYERS.
13
14
 When PCs enter a new location, advance
one or both threats and describe
the chaos before them. Explain how
the location has been altered by the
advancing threats, and don’t forget to
deck the halls with blood, madness, and
charming Christmas details.

VENT PROMENADE FREIGHT

FRELEVATOR
15
 THE CORE:
INVASION GROUND ZERO
The battle for Hardlight Station rages through corridors decked for the big party. Blackshield patrols are
rounding up any stragglers they can find and herding them into the atrium, where Gruber is interrogating
Healthtek personnel for info on the Tau Sigma Substance. PCs have to be sneaky if they want to avoid getting
caught in the chaos.

LOCATIONS D10 ENCOUNTERS AS YOU NAVIGATE THE STATION

01 The Medbay (Start Here): Left with only a skeleton 01 Something in the vents!
staff while most of the personnel celebrate 02 Couple lying low to avoid the Blackshield patrols.
Christmas. It now crawls with Blackshield mercs They’re hiding something.
searching for survivors of Tau Sigma 7. Medical 03 Blackshield Assault Squad on patrol.
supplies can be scrounged here. 04 Infected scientist fleeing the Healthtek facility.
02 The Atrium: A geodesic dome with a grand view “Run for your lives. They’re coming!”
of the stars. Currently decorated for Christmas. 05 Station Dweller in a Santa hat begging for you to
Partygoers huddle terrified as Blackshield take them with you. Useless.
Mercs search the crowd for anyone who might 06 Crew of smugglers using the chaos to loot.
know the whereabouts of the head of Healthtek, 07 Station security officer trying to round up
Dr. Gennero. defenders. Will deputize you.
03 Living Quarters: A warren of tiny apartments, all 08 Tough-looking Teamster. He’ll show you a secret
locked. A few scared families huddle inside. way into the docks if you rescue his family.
04 Commerce District: Empty for Christmas. The 09 Lost child in an elf costume. Looking for mama.
shops are shuttered but might have some useful 10 Fight! Roll twice and combine results.
mundane supplies on the shelves.
05 Engineering: Filled with the drone of the reactor D10 STUFF FOUND IN
core and the myriad other machines that run the THE MEDBAY ENGINEERING
place. Along the wall is an engineering command 01 Scalpel Crowbar
panel and a row of lockers for vaccsuits and 02 Pain Pills Foam Gun
maintenance gear. The only access to the void 03 First Aid Kit Hand Welder
other than through the Docks. 04 Med Scanner Laser Cutter
05 Automed Nail Gun
06 Tranq Pistol Rigging Gun
07 Oxygen Tank Electronic Tool Set
08 Stimpaks Lockpick Set
09 Hazard Suit Infrared Goggles
10 Cache (Roll Twice) Cache (Roll Twice)

16
SECURITY AND ADMINISTRATION:
NAKATOMI’S LAST STAND
The administration center of the station, McClane fled here when Blackshield broke into the Hanger. Now she
waits with the remnants of the station’s security forces, broadcasting an SOS to anyone who will listen and
doing her damndest to keep Blackshield from seizing her sanctum.
LOCATIONS
01 Entrance Hall: flechette riddled mercenary
corpses clog the hastily erected barricades that
block the hallway to Security and Administrator
McClane’s office. A pair of motion-activated
defence turrets blink in their roof mounts in front
of the sealed office doors. Out front, a Blackshield
Assault squad attempts to breach again.
02 Station Security Precinct: the cramped quarters
of Hardlight Station’s meager security forces. A
handful of desks, cheap terminals, and teetering
piles of unfinished paperwork.
03 Holding Cells: usually used to coral drunks and
delinquent pilots late on paying their docking
fees, now a small group of station crew and
Healthtek personnel huddle here hoping the
reinforced walls will provide protection from the
Blackshield roundup.
04 Armoury: locked behind an impressive, security
hardened door, the station police’s small
collection of firearms and security equipment has
mostly been put to use suppressing the invasion.
The contraband locker is untouched and might
contain a few items of interest.
05 Administrator McLane’s office: Lushly appointed
meeting area with a view of the stars. Heavy
leather chairs, expensive gene-edited flowers
and greenery decorate the space in front of the
imposing desk. The few remaining station security
officers guard the entrance. Behind the desk,
McClane waits at the admin command terminal,
trusty revolver in hand.
D10 PIECES OF CONTRABAND
01 Matched pair of pistols: snakes with diamond
eyes carved into the grips.
02 Smuggler’s sawed off shotgun: useless at range.
Brutal up close.
03 Illegal Algolian absynth: may relieve stress. Will
definitely cause hallucinations.
04 Set of shuriken: replicas or the real deal?
05 Ancient videotape labelled “do NOT watch” in
thick, messy handwriting.
06 Fireworks: “Fireworks, seriously? Who smuggles
fireworks onto a goddamn space station?!” -
Chief Security Officer Powell
07 Black Market Stims: like regular stimpacks but
they kick like a mule and are highly addictive.
08 Modified Vibechete “Lil’ Ripper”: extra big teeth
cause extra large wounds. 4D10 damage. Loud.
09 High quality Forged IDs: enough for the whole
crew. Fill in the blanks with whatever you like.
“Should” work at all but the most high security
ports of call. At least once, anyway.
10 640 MCR in ancient US bearer bonds: worth a
fortune if you can find anywhere to cash them.
17
 THE DOCKS:
BLACKSHIELD’S TEMPORARY HQ
The station’s ship hangar is filled with cargo, fuelling berths, and a motley assortment of deep-space ships
including that of the survivors of Tau Sigma 7. Blackshield has set up HQ on their ship Breaker and they’ve
fortified the docks for battle.

LOCATIONS D10 SHIPS IN THE SPACE DOCK

01 Breaker Hold: guts of Blackshield’s ship. Jammed 01 Breaker: Blackshield’s fortified HQ Frigate.
with expensive military gear and a series of newly 02 The Roasty Jack: Deep space trade ship. Definitely
installed cryo tanks. not a smuggler craft.
02 Breaker Bridge: command center with access to 03 La Cartera Roja: A converted hauler on a
comms, defenses and engines. Heavily guarded humanitarian rescue mission. Hold full of
in all but the most dire of emergencies. frightened orphans.
03 Barricades: formidable fortifications blocking the 04 The Mother of Pearl: Salvage ship filled with
main access from the station. Auto turrets and scrap from a derelict terraforming op.
razor wire. None shall pass. 05 Busty Prince Billy: A decommissioned vintage
04 Freight Elevator: Direct connection to engineering. pleasure craft. Fur. Lined. Walls!
Unnoticed and unguarded. 06 Mystery Ship! What’s under the tarp?! Probably
05 Dockmaster’s Office: converted hauler container. just boxes… but maybe…
A mess of invoices, tangled cables, and empty 07 The SS Funtimes: Playground for Teamster kids.
donut boxes. Walls and doors are reinforced to Looks like a retro rocketship. Comes with genuine
survive the dangers of deep space. work orders!
08 The Time Bird: Cheaply made knockoff of the
D10 BAD BREAKS AND LUCKY FINDS galaxy’s most famous ship.
01 Cargo hauler mech with the keys left in the 09 The Dream Deferred: Chunky old garbage scow.
ignition. 10 ZZ-1984: High tech drone bristling with sensors.
02 Toppled over crate of mining charges.
03 A Blackshield Merc asleep at their post.
04 1D10 terrified children hiding out in a shipping
container.
05 Tabby cat that jumps out when least expected.
06 Rough and tumble vaccsuits in a range of sizes.
07 Interstellar transmission terminal with a
working uplink.
08 Blackshield patrol scouting perimeter.
09 Open access hatch to the Breaker, no one
seems to be around.
10 Load of D10 infected Teamster Goolings spilling
out from the freight elevator.

18
THE HEALTHTEK MODULE:
ENTER THE DEVIL’S MOUTH
Bolted to its underbelly, Healthtek AG’s advanced research module is Hardlight Station’s most lucrative
contractor. Once a pristine paragon of high tech, utopian sterility, the brilliant white hallways are now a
charnel house of blood, gore, and crimson goo. Smashed medical equipment strews the floors. Shatterproof
windows are buckled and spidered and somewhere, not too far away, a human scream is cut viciously short.

LOCATIONS D10 HEALTHEK ENCOUNTERS

Roll or select from the Healthtek Encounters list
every time PCs move to a new room.
01 Reception: Cold and corporate, the slick
reception area was once an interior decorator’s
wet-dream of white leather and soft light. Now it
is a bloodsoaked orgy of slashed ottomans and
overturned tables. The corpse of a lone scientist
is slumped over the white marble front desk. The
wound in his back bubbles with noxious red goo.
02 Cryo Sample Storage: Cold storage for Gennero’s
dangerous and rare specimens. Up until hours
ago, this is where the hybrids were held. Now the
glass of their tanks is smashed open from the
inside and trails of red goo lead from their tanks
into the halls of Healthtek.
03 Quarantine: The infected survivors of Tau Sigma 7
have been sequestered here for treatment since
arrival. Most succumbed to the infection but
others fought it off and survived. The quarantine
protocols that imprisoned them have so far kept
them safe from the rampaging hybrids. But how
long can the seals hold?
04 Lab: Centrifuges, supercomputers, and all manner
of high-tech equipment are smashed and strewn
across the Healthtek lab. Crimson goo stains the
walls. Medicines and basic medical equipment
can be scrounged here.
05 Operating Theatre: Centered around a large
operating table, this is where Gennero conducted
many of his tests. Strangely this room has been
left untouched by the madness outside.
01 Eerie quiet punctuated by the faint crackle of
electricity and the beeps of broken machinery.
02 Tau Sigma survivor in Quarantine calling through
the vents: “Help, we’re trapped in here. Come let
us out!”
03 Ragged hole the size of a man torn through a wall.
Pieces of flesh drip viscous red goo from snarls
of rebar.
04 Moans of an infected lab tech crawling away, long
trail of blood and goo bubbling behind them.
05 Thump and snort of something large in the next
room. The hybrids are hunting.
06 Crashes and clangs - a solitary hybrid is tearing
apart the room, looking for something, hasn't
noticed the PCs, yet.
07 Huddled Healthek survivors. They’ve locked
themselves behind the door and aren’t coming
out until the coast is clear.
08 Pile of bodies—scientists caught unawares when
the Hybrids first escaped. Blood leaks from
numerous gaping wounds. One of the mangled
bodies twitches and, impossibly, begins to pick
itself up from the blood slicked floor.
09 Dr. Holland Gennero hidden in a maintenance
closet. The hybrids have a special hate for him
and are never far from his location.
10 Hybrid laying in wait. Only one is visible but they
hunt in pairs.

19
 HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER
A GUIDE TO THE PEOPLE AND PLACES OF THE STATION FOR WHEN EVERYTHING HASN’T QUITE GONE TO HELL

THE HARDLIGHT HOTEL, BAR, BANK & CASINO

“The Best Place to Blow Your Pay in Outerspace”
More like the only place. The Hardlight Hotel, Bar, Bank and Casino is the
main attraction on the station. It’s also the central hub that station business
funnels through. Conflict of interest: what’s that? The Space Bar caters to
both the itinerant traders and long-haulers as well as the stevedores from
the Teamster local and the two don’t always get along. All and all it’s a wild
place on a Friday night.

D10 RUMOURS OVERHEARD AT THE SPACE BAR

01 One of Dr. Gennero’s lab rats escaped into 06 A killer stalks the residential section and the
the vents recently. Except it didn’t look much security team is stumped. The victims all have had
like a lab rat anymore... their cyber mods torn out.

02 A whistleblower is trying to get the word out 07 There’s good money to be made over at the
about the unlawful experiments going on Nakatomi outpost on Tau Sigma 7. Something
at Healthtek AG. They are currently in hiding about securing minerals from a dig site.
trying to find a way off the station.

03 A ship came in last week with no one
on it. All the screens were static and the
crew completely disappeared. Customs
seized some kind of weird data tape from
their computer and are holding it in the
contraband locker at Station Security.
08 The terrorist organization Jiyu Jinmin has put
Nakatomi Solutions on their hit list. Apparently,
they want to seize the ancient US bearer bonds in
Hardlight Station’s contraband locker. What they want
them for is anyone’s guess.

04 Administrator McClane’s been looking over 09 That weird drone ship in the port isn’t from here…
her shoulder an awful lot as of late. Perhaps as in like from anywhere around here. Its origin and
the increase in corporate traffic in the starport mission are completely unknown.
has something to do with it?

05 Sad Jack is plotting to win back the station - 10 The booze is watered down and all the tables are
and this time he’s serious. rigged at the Hardlight Casino. This is not a rumour.

20
HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER
HARDLIGHT HOTEL, BAR, BANK & CASINO
D10 WAYS TO BLOW A MONTHS PAY IN FIVE MINUTES (AND OTHER USEFUL SERVICES)
01 Play a game of “Critical Success!”: the most
popular game on Hardlight Station. Beat the
target number of 50 with a critical success and
double your money. Critical fail and you lose it all.
The house wins on “50” and “00” and takes 10%
of all winnings.
02 Have fun at the Holopark™: journey to a fantasy
world pumped directly into your prefrontal
cortex. Experiences are made from 100% real
recycled memories. One reviewer described the
potentially seizure-inducing effects as “charmingly
retro”! (Holopark™ takes no responsibility for
nightmares, persistent visions or lingering voices
you may experience after using their products.)
03 Seize a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity: “Yes,
this pallet of expensive electronics just fell off the
transport hover. No, the owners don’t want it back.
Hey listen, I can’t use them but I’m sure a savvy
business person like yourself can. Now hurry with
the cash; I think I heard a siren.”
04 Dance, Dance, Dance!: G8R-44 and the other
dancers work their magic every Friday and
Saturday night. Free shot of SynthSinthe with
cover. Maybe make a new friend, maybe get
robbed. Who knows!?
05 Treat Yourself to the Rim’s Finest: enjoy a
decadent meal of soysteaks and real simulated
Terran vegetables in the VIP lounge of the Space
Bar. Often filled with station notables, the Space
Bar lounge is perfect for a romantic night out or
impressing your corporate contacts.
HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER
06 Gamble Big on Corporate Stocks: who said only
the bigwigs get to manipulate the market? Get
in on the action by buying shares in Nakatomi,
Straylight, or Ally Securities, and applying a little
elbow grease to get those stocks soaring.
07 Fight it Out: those looking to blow off some
steam or win quick creds can find their way
into the backroom of the Space Bar for the
Saturday night fight club. Fight for prizes against
the station’s toughest teamsters. Though not
technically legal, Station Security only conducts
raids when the rent’s not paid on time.
08 Donate It: the Starlit Path Relief Initiative is in
need of funds to pay for humanitarian efforts
in the war-torn Rigel cluster. Won’t you consider
giving to help a family in need today?
09 Install a Cyber Tattoo: the guy behind the
counter swears his sub-dermal wire patterns are
all the rage. He’ll do any shape you want and
when you’re close to an energy source they glow!
10 Buy into a Time-Share: who said there is no such
thing as a free lunch? Come watch the Sunward
Realty presentation on vacation home investing
right here on Hardlight Station and access to the
Hardlight Hotel pseudo-seafood buffet is on them.
It’s a win-win!
21
 HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER
SAD JACK'S SPACER SUPPLY CO HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER

SAD JACK’S SPACER SUPPLY CO

One-stop shop for all your interstellar needs. Sad Jack’s been running
the store here since the station opened. Why’s he so sad, you ask? He
used to own the station until he lost it on a roll of the dice to a passing
Nakatomi rep over at the Hardlight Hotel Bar and Casino. His prices are
notoriously high but he’s known to give deep discounts to those in his
good books.

D10 MOSTLY LEGAL THINGS SAD JACK IS SELLING D10 MOSTLY LEGAL THINGS SAD JACK IS BUYING

01 Smugglers rags - unremarkable old clothing 01 Up to date corporate intel, especially on

sewn full of secret pockets and pouches lined
with scanner-spoofing filaments.
02 Counterfeit chips for the Hardlight Casino.
Guaranteed to work at least half the time.
03 After-Market Weapon Mods.
04 Two-year-old hacked corporate data (insider info,
r&d data, old passwords, private emails, etc). He
sells dirt on Nakatomi at half-price out of spite.
05 Bio-Engineered Organs. Great for skirting around
bans on cyber mods.
06 Repossessed Cyber-Ware. Cleanliness mostly
guaranteed.
07 Bad Bounty Bundles: hard-to-collect contracts
available for a fraction of the cost.
08 Fresh Memories for the Holopark - upload at
your own risk.
09 Slick world software scraps made from the
discarded memories of the dead.
10 The blueprints for Hardlight Station.
Nakatomi Inc.
02 Human organs; lightly used.
03 Blackmail materials on station notables.
04 Any and all musical instruments for some
unknown reason.
05 Arcturian Civil War memorabilia.
06 An old photo of Jack and Takako that the
Administrator is rumoured to keep in her office
desk. He reminds you not to tell anyone you’re
looking for it. Everyone is looking for it.
07 Trading Cards of the Rocket Age! Limited edition
cards of the heroes of early space exploration.
The holofoil Gagarin card is worth its weight in
plutonium!
08 Fresh Memories for the Holopark - upload at
your own risk.
09 Your body. Jack installs the puppet software free
of charge. Help yourself by helping others help
themselves by using you to help them. Pay is per
day.
10 Romance novels from the popular Corporate
Liaisons series. Buy, sell, or trade! Find one he
hasn’t read and you’ve made a friend for life.

22
HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER
INTERSTELLAR OPPORTUNITIES TEMP AGENCY HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER

INTERSTELLAR OPPORTUNITIES TEMP AGENCY

Down and out and looking to make a quick buck? Interstellar Opportunities
may just have a job for you. From salvage contracts to overrun colony
clearouts they’ve got plenty of work for the high-risk/high reward crowd.

D10 CONTRACTS ON OFFER

01 Xero Corp has posted a one-month contract for
night cleaners at their for-profit Prison facility in
orbit around Carnath. The pay is surprisingly high
and includes one-way transit.
02 The Dyson Initiative is looking for a salvage
crew able to locate and return a missing
corporate freighter carrying classified hyperdrive
technology. The only clue is a few scrambled
signals originating from Achernar - rambling about
“a hunger deeper than the void.”
06 Eden Astrocolonies is looking for teams situated
in rim space to investigate a distress signal
from their survey mission on the garden world
e789b2, designation: “Somerset.”
07 Dr. Gennero has posted a job for a sample
collection run. He is requesting live samples of
six pre-specified xenoflora and fauna. Along with
an excellent compensation package, he will outfit
any willing ship with specialized cryo facilities for
secure sample storage.

03 Director Sheppard of the Outland titanium mine
has put out a contract for private investigators
willing to solve a string of mysterious crew
disappearances. Specifically, he wants his chief
geologist, Dr. Mario Lacerta, found and safely
returned.
08 Lodestone Reclamations has a repo contract out
for the former asteroid mansion of a disgraced
holo star. It has recently drifted into the Charybdis
magnetic anomaly zone making retrieval
challenging. Must be why the pay is so high.

04 A research team from Landis University on Venus
is looking to hire a crew to escort priceless
cultural artifacts through the warzone that has
engulfed the Rigel system.
09 A client known only as “M” seeks mercenaries
with corporate experience to neutralize a
high-ranking employee of a corporation listed
only as “NS Inc”. Details upon confirmation of
contract.

05 The RAMA Early Detection Network has picked up
signs of a large alien habitat cylinder drifting dark
in the Medusa Nebula. Its massive hyperdrive is
spinning up and looks as though it will activate
in the next few weeks. RAMA is offering to fund
an expedition to unlock its secrets before it slips
once more into the darkness between the stars.
10 The Light of the Interstellar Way is requesting
discrete pickup and transport of 12 of their
members to their temple complex on Haruna.
Their religion dictates that the cryogenically frozen
bodies must not be viewed in any manner before,
during, or after transport.

23
HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER
THE DOCKS HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER

A DAY ON THE DOCKS

When not being invaded by Blackshield the docks are busy with Teamsters
loading and unloading ships. The Dockmaster, Grib Tanza, barks orders
from the sweltering innards of his cargo container cum office. Docking here
is slightly above galactic standard though many agree the reliable service
justifies the price. Transport can be arranged to a variety of local sector
locations and there are always captains looking to hire experienced hands.

D10 PORTS OF CALL ACCESSIBLE FROM HARDLIGHT STATION

01 TeraTek Amalgamate Mine Works on Carnath: 06 Sounder 4 Wormhole Research Station: Top
Life is hard in the mines - the people that work scientists study the strange phenomena that
them, harder. proliferate around these tears in space-time.

02 Excelsior Cloud City on the gas giant Virago: 07 Tau Sigma 7 Nakatomi Orbital Station: Initially
Exclusive resort for the sector’s wealthy and a terraforming prospect, all work halted when
famous. alleged alien ruins were uncovered on the surface.

03 Medusa Station: Few ships come and go from 08 Bodhisattva IIa Neo-Buddhist Colony: A religious
here, and the ones that do travel in secret. refuge and H20 Farm subsidized by Straylight LLC.
There have been rumours of trouble recently.

04 Champion Downs Asteroid Sports Complex: The 09 Hellmire Exclusion Zone: Poorly manned patrols
premier entertainment destination in the sector. haunt the perimeter of the zone. Automated
Home to the Nakatomi Nightjars Gravball team. beacons broadcast “All trespassers will be shot…
for their own good.”

05 Charybdis Debris Fields: The shattered remnants 10 Behemoth 3 Megafauna Game Reserve: People
of a long-dead alien civilization. pay big bucks to hunt the massive creatures that
stalk the grasslands on this Super Earth.

24
HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER
10 MORE BUSINESSES HARDLIGHT STATION GAZETTEER

TEN MORE BUSINESSES

Though the businesses above are the main players on Hardlight Station - the corridors are bursting with eclectic
locations of questionable repute. Wander through the tangle of corridors in the commerce zone to really dig into
the irradiated underbelly that makes Hardlight Station beloved and loathed by so many.

D10 BUSINESSES

01 Galaxy Dan’s Hardlight Hotdog Cart: Definitely 06 The Drone-Atorium: Black market drone races
not meat, potentially edible, somewhat delicious! every Friday night in the void above the Atrium.
Station security not welcome.

02 One with the Void Zero-G Spa: Experience the 07 The Light of the Interstellar Way Mission:
bliss of nothingness in O2 enriched cocoons Proselytizers draw in passersby with promises of
tethered 1km from the station. travel through the stars. Spaceship not required.

03 Mink’s Inks: High-end, intradermal circuit 08 Nothing Lasts Forever Books and Candy:
tattoos at unbeatable prices. The best place to a dada-esque mashup of sugary treats and
record your conquests or memorialize the fallen. nihilistic philosophy. Grab a snack and book
TEMPORARILY CLOSED FOR REPAIR. before heading back into the black.

04 Möbius Toy & Gift: Your one stop shop for 09 Sin/Stim: Hardlight Station’s premiere adult
novelties, games, and souvenirs that defy the laws braindance club, where your wildest fantasies
of thermodynamics. become virtual reality.

05 The Star Chamber Lounge: your secrets are safe
at this exclusive escape thanks to the state of
the art privacy controls. Enter through the access
hatch behind the atrium water feature. Strictly
invite only.
10 Count Maru’s House of Games: Need for speed?
Thirst for blood? The thrill of competition awaits
you at The Count's classic neuronet arcade. Over
150+ vintage brainsofts to choose from!

25
 APPENDIX
OPTIONAL FOR INCREASED
INTRIGUE: CREW QUESTIONS,
CONNECTIONS & SECRET
AGENDAS
Use the crew questions to tie your
players into the adventure and
raise the stakes.
■ Marine: Why did you secretly
alert Blackshield to both your
discovery on Tau Sigma 7 and
your current location? Now that
they are here, what tells you
they intend to silence those
who know what went on there,
including yourself, for good?
■ Teamster: You have a
connection to one of the
infected from Tau Sigma
who has been taken into the
Healthtek facility. What is the
connection and why do you feel
compelled to rescue them?
■ Scientist: You work for one of
Nakatomi Solution’s corporate
rivals. You were contracted
to attain a sample of the Tau
Sigma substance and ensure
that no others have the same
opportunity. What drives you to
complete this mission?
■ Android: Created in a lab, born
in a tank, with no name until
you joined the crew on TS7,
they have come to be a family
for you. And you’ll do anything
to protect the ones you love.
26
D10 THINGS YOU’D FIND AT A
CHRISTMAS PARTY IN SPACE
01 Android, specifically built to
look like Santa.
02 Dehydrated fruit cake. It
still weighs a ton and no one
wants it.
03 Stockings hung ‘round the
reactor/terminal with care.
“Takagi, Powell, Argyle, and Ellis.”
04 Someone’s pet mogwai
chowing down on the snacks
while no one is looking.
05 Forklift strung with lights, a
red strobe taped to the front
and “Rudolph” painted on the
side in big sloppy letters.
06 A massive holo-projection of
an animated Christmas tree.
07 A flickering arcade console
“Splatterhouse Elves: 2143.”
08 Video-feed of carolers in
pixelated Christmas sweaters
singing “Auld Lang Syne” on loop.
They still don’t know the words.
09 Lift decorated like a chimney;
says “ho ho ho” every time the
doors open.
10 Fake snow mists windows
and gauges; obscures real
problems.
D10 HARDLIGHT STATION
“ACHIEVEMENTS” FOR GAMEPLAY
CHALLENGES.
01 Slappers only: No weapons
- survive the station with just
bare hands and brains.
02 Don’t go in the vents!
Whatever you do, don’t go into
the vents.
03 No man left behind: Save the
survivors of Tau Sigma 7.
04 A deal they can’t refuse:
Negotiate a deal with
Blackshield and hold them
to it.
05 Take the bastards with you:
Activate the self-destruct
sequence on the Station and
go down with the ship.
06 The darkest of all timelines:
Allow the hybrids to escape
and spread the alien infection
throughout the galaxy.
07 Fresh Faces: Finish the
adventure with none of the
original characters.
08 Body Snatchers: Become
infected and turn on the party.
09 VIP Secure: Ensure both
Gennero and McClane survive.
10 Find the Cure: Eradicate the
alien infection from the station.
WELCOME TO HARDLIGHT STATION.
DYING HARD ON HARDLIGHT STATION IS AN OPEN-ENDED ADVENTURE
AND PLUG-AND-PLAY SETTING FILLED WITH UNIQUE LOCATIONS,
SCHEMING NPCS, AND TERRIFYING HORRORS ON THE HUNT.
A CYBERPUNK, CHRISTMAS MASHUP INSPIRED BY THE BEST OF 80'S
ACTION FILMS AND WORKING-CLASS, SCI-FI HORROR - A NIGHT ON
HARDLIGHT STATION IS ONE YOU WON’T SOON FORGET.